Faculty

TAMU Entomology Wins Several Awards at Southwestern Branch Meeting

May 3, 2019 by Rob Williams

Jocelyn Holt, left, received the Comstock Award and second place in the 3-minute talk competition. Standing with Holt is Eric Rebek. Photo by Edmond Bonjour.

The Department of Entomology at Texas A&M had a good year at this year’s Southwestern Branch meeting of the Entomological Society of America in Tulsa as several students and faculty members received awards during its annual meeting in late April.

Ph.D. student Jocelyn Holt received the John Henry Comstock Graduate Student Award. Holt’s research is looking into increasing our understanding of the interplay between genetics and insect mutualisms in invasive species.

Mark Janowiecki, left, with Eric Rebek. Photo by Edmond Bonjour

Holt is looking at the role insect microbiomes play in mediating mutualisms among insects. Her research has revealed microbial differences between sugarcane aphids (SCA) that seem to correspond to genetic differences of sorghum or sugarcane populations. She is also investigating whether these genetically distinct SCA populations differ in their attractiveness to ants and is examining the fine-scale genetic structure of the tawny crazy ant to inform future integrated pest management.

Jaclyn Martin, center, with Justin Talley, left, and Eric Rebek. Photo by Edmond Bonjour

“I am very honored to receive the 2019 Comstock Award from the ESA Southwestern Branch. It is exciting to be recognized for my research accomplishments as well as my promotion of excellence and diversity in STEM through teaching and mentorship,” Holt said. “I am proud to represent Texas A&M and hope that my determination to pursue entomology inspires others to accomplish their dreams.”

Travis Trimm, center, with Justin Talley, left, and Eric Rebek. Photo by Edmond Bonjour

In the 3 minute presentation competition, Ph.D. student Mark Janowiecki won first place for his talk titled “The giant walkingstick (Megaphasma denticrus) feeding on eastern cedar (Juniperus virginiana)” while Holt received second for her talk titled “Assessing mutualisms in invasive insect pests.”

“I was glad to see the Southwestern Branch offer the 3-Minute Talks and found it exciting to give a quick summary of my research,” Holt said. “I am proud to be a winner in the first ever SWB 3-Minute Talks and have found that this talk has helped me better communicate my research to others. I look forward to the SWB offering this event in future meetings!”

John Grunseich, center, with Justin Talley, left, and Eric Rebek. Photo by Edmond Bonjour

In the poster competition, Ph.D. student Jaclyn Martin received first place in the Ph.D. category for her poster titled “Keeping
up to date on the threat of Tagosodes orizicolus and Rice hoja blanca virus to Texas rice” while Travis Trimm received first place in the Undergraduate competition for his poster titled “Evaluation of the temperature tolerance of the predatory mite Stratiolaelaps scimitus for biological control of the honey bee ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor.” Masters student John Grunseich won second place in the Masters category for his poster “The effects of below-ground chemical cues from entomopathogenic nematodes on host plant selection of diabroticite beetle larvae.”

Franchesca Rodriguez, center, with Justin Talley, left, and Eric Rebek. Photo by Edmond Bonjour

In the 10-minute oral presentation competition, two graduate students and one undergraduate received top awards for their talks. In the Undergraduate competition, Franchesca Rodriguez won first place for her talk titled “Behavioral effects of juvenile hormone on the worker caste of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta.” Ph.D. student Erfan Vafaie won first place for his talk “Use of multiple natural enemies for inoculative biological control if Bemisia tabaci in greenhouse poinsettia production” and MacKenzie Tietjen received second place for her talk “Assessing host-associated differentiation in Dermacentor variabilis (Acari: Ixodidae).”

Erfan Vafaie, center, with Justin Talley, left, and Eric Rebek. Photo by Edmond Bonjour

“I’m very happy to even had the opportunity to compete and present on my past research,” Rodriguez said. “Winning first place is likewise on a different level, I wouldn’t say I expected it, but I was fairly confident in my presenting skills.”

“It is always an honor to speak amongst my fellow brilliant graduate students. I am always impressed with the great quality of research and presentations given at these meetings, and feel very grateful for being recognized for my work,” Vafaie said.

Dr. Michael Brewer, left, with Eric Rebek. Photo by Edmond Bonjour

Dr. Michael Brewer was recognized for the ESA Award for Excellence in Integrated Pest Management and both graduate teams won first and second place at the branch Linnaean Games.

Brewer’s nomination focused on his collaborative research and outreach efforts in addressing sugarcane aphid on sorghum and how this research contributed to understanding aphid invasions and their management in cereal grains of the North American Great Plains.

The first place graduate Linnaean Team. From left to right are: Fabian List, Mark Janowiecki, Dr. Juliana Rangel, coach, Joanie King, and Mackenzie Tietjen. Photo by Edmond Bonjour. — The first place graduate Linnaean Team. From left to right are: Fabian List, Mark Janowiecki, Dr. Juliana Rangel (coach), Joanie King, and Mackenzie Tietjen. Photo by Edmond Bonjour.

The second place graduate Linnaean Team. From left to right are: Kenneth Masloski, John Grunseich, Dr. Juliana Rangel, coach, Jaclyn Martin, and Dayvion Adams. Photo by Edmond Bonjour. — The second place graduate Linnaean Team. From left to right are: Kenneth Masloski, John Grunseich, Dr. Juliana Rangel (coach), Jaclyn Martin, and Dayvion Adams. Photo by Edmond Bonjour.

“I greatly appreciate the nomination by the Department and was greatly honored to receive the award at the SW Branch meeting in Tulsa. Research and outreach on sugarcane aphid on sorghum was the main thrust of the work,” Brewer said. “The entomology team in Corpus Christi and all the research and outreach collaborators along the Texas Gulf Coast and across five states were instrumental in addressing sugarcane aphid on sorghum. The early financial support of the Texas Grain Sorghum Board and United Sorghum put our research group in a great position to address the problem locally when the aphid first appeared in south Texas, and then regionally in cooperation with other scientists as it spread across 17 states, Mexico, and the Caribbean islands.

“Several USDA funding agencies supported the multi-state work, including supporting two graduate students in Entomology at A&M,” Brewer said. “Now in South Texas and many other locations, the sugarcane aphid is well managed by the great sorghum producers of the region. I am glad our A&M team and our partners were able to help.”

Brewer’s nomination will be entered into another voting in which the winner will be announced at the 2019 ESA national meeting in St Louis in November. The winners of the Southwestern Branch Photo Salon were also announced. Erfan Vafaie and Brian Rich won best image in the Macrophotography category with Vafaie winning Best Overall Image.

Allen to Retire After 38 Years with AgriLife Extension Entomology

January 11, 2019 by Rob Williams

Dr. Charles Allen, left, with Dr. Pete Teel, interim department head. Photo by Rob Williams

The Department of Entomology will be saying goodbye to a longtime leader in boll weevil eradication as Dr. Charles Allen will retire on January 31 after 38 years with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

Allen’s career started with working in 1981 as an Area Extension Specialist in Weslaco for two years. He then moved to Fort Stockton in 1983 where he worked as an Extension Specialist for 13 years. In 1996, he was an Extension Entomologist at the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service in Monticello, Ark.

Allen then moved to Abilene in 2000 where he served as the Program Director for the Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation and as Professor and Extension Specialist and became the statewide IPM Coordinator and Associate Department Head in San Angelo in 2009.

In his managerial roles, Allen led boll weevil and pink bollworm eradication programs in Texas and Eastern New Mexico. During his 9-year tenure as Program Director, he had supervisory oversight of 1,500-2,500 employees in programs funded by state & federal appropriations, and local assessments totaling over $803 million. In his Extension career he secured and managed grants totaling $3.1 million and managed units in Extension Entomology with cumulative operating budgets of $16.5 million from 2009-2018.

The cumulative net economic impact of the cooperative boll weevil eradication program in Texas since 1996 was $3.3 billion by 2016. In 2018, pink bollworm was declared eradicated from U.S. cotton. However, no crop damage or control costs have been incurred by cotton producers in over 13 years. Cumulatively, over $400 million in net benefits have been realized by cotton growers in the southwestern United States from pink bollworm eradication.

Allen also has made other contributions to state and national IPM efforts and insecticide resistance management efforts involving several pests. He has been consistent advocate and teacher of integrated pest management for Texas and national stakeholders.

Allen authored or co-authored 19 refereed publications, 4 book chapters, 43 extension publications, 117 proceedings articles and 3 white papers. He has given 140 invited and 99 submitted professional presentations and hundreds of presentations supporting county programs. He served on and led regional and national committees associated with professional societies, commodity-associated groups, IPM-related groups and federal agencies, most recently, US EPA.

Allen has received numerous awards during his career which included the Friends of IPM – Pulling Together Award for the Sugarcane Aphid Team in 2016, the West Texas Ag Institute’s Innovator award in 2017, and the Plains Cotton Grower’s Service to Cotton award in 2017. In 2018, he received the Superior Service Award for Distinguished Career.

“It’s been a real privilege to work with you all,” Allen said.

“Few entomologists will achieve the kind of professional impact made by Charles Allen during his career. Not only was he one of the most important Texas players in pest management during his time, he also steered our Texas A&M entomology Extension unit through some of its leanest budget years ever,” Professor and Extension Entomologist Mike Merchant said. “I believe I speak for everyone in our Extension unit when I say that we have been very blessed to have had Charles as our leader over the past decade. He will be greatly missed.”

Cattle tick, handling demonstrations featured at 47th South Texas Cow-Calf Clinic

November 15, 2018 by Rob Williams

by Blair Fannin, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension’s Dr. Joe Paschal, Agency Interim Director Dr. Parr Rosson, Texas A&M AgriLife Research Entomologist Dr. Pete Teel, were all part of the recent 47th South Central Texas Cow-Calf Clinic in Brenham. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Blair Fannin) — Texas A&M AgriLife Extension’s Dr. Joe Paschal (left), Agency Interim Director Dr. Parr Rosson (center), Texas A&M AgriLife Research Entomologist Dr. Pete Teel (right), were all part of the recent 47th South Central Texas Cow-Calf Clinic in Brenham. Photo by Blair Fannin, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications

BRENHAM – Ranchers working cattle this fall and winter, or surveying pastures and wildlife, need to be mindful of ticks harboring on livestock and forage habitats.

Dr. Pete Teel, Texas A&M AgriLife Research entomologist in College Station, recently gave a tick update at the 47th South Texas Cow-Calf Clinic in Brenham.

Teel discussed a variety of ticks common to Texas, including those that have not entered the Lone Star state and pose potential health consequences not just for cattle, but for humans.

One of the most common ticks in Texas is the Lone Star tick. It is a three-host tick, starting out as a tiny seed tick on animals, then dropping back into the environment to molt to nymphs. Nymphs repeat this sequence attaching and feeding on a second host, dropping into the environment to molt to adult ticks, then attach and feed on the third host, Teel said.

Cattle and wildlife such as deer or feral hogs are common hosts for this tick.

“More than 95 percent of this tick’s life is spent in the pasture in vegetation types that support tick development and access to hosts,” Teel said.

Another tick found in Texas, the Gulf Coast tick, is also a three-host tick.

“They particularly like to infest ground dwelling birds during the larval and nymphal stages, and infested birds can be a continuous source of pasture infestation,” he said. “Adult Gulf Coast ticks like to attach themselves to the ears of livestock or wildlife.

“Pesticide-impregnated ear tags were originally developed to control infestations of Gulf Coast ticks on cattle, and this control tactic remains effective if applied during the peak infestation period from July to October in Texas.”

Teel stressed practicing good biosecurity. He advised cattle producers purchasing cattle to temporarily quarantine new animals to inspect, treat and observe them prior introducing them to the home herd.

“Newly purchased animals of any species could serve as potential hosts for ticks,” Teel said.

The potential for the Asian Longhorn tick to enter Texas looms. It was discovered in nine states in 2018, including Arkansas, he said. The climate of Texas is predicted to support the Asian Longhorn tick, so surveillance in 2019 will be needed, he noted.

“It was discovered on a sheep farm in the summer of 2017 in New Jersey, and experts think it may have been introduced to the U.S. as early as 2010,” Teel said. “Originating from China, it long ago spread to Australia and New Zealand. It is a relatively small, brownish tick, but can do a lot of damage.”

Teel said the Longhorn tick is a “highly adaptable tick” and is likely to spread over much of the U.S.

Teel reviewed the history and ecology of cattle fever ticks and provided an update on cattle fever tick infestations. He reminded the audience of the risks of cattle fever ticks and their transmission of pathogens causing bovine babesiosis.

“At risk is our economy of the Texas cattle industry and the more than 400,000 cattle producers throughout the southern region where this tick could survive if permitted to be reintroduced,” Teel said.

“More than one third of the U.S. fed cattle are produced in this region. U.S. cattle are naive to bovine babesiosis and mortality is estimated to exceed 70 percent in naïve cattle. There are no protective vaccines or approved drugs. Our focus is to prevent the only vector, cattle fever ticks, from re-establishing populations in the U.S.”

For more information, Teel said producers can visit http://tickapp.tamu.edu/ for a complete background on common ticks found in Texas and more in the mobile app available for smartphones.

Also during the program, Dr. Joe Paschal, AgriLife Extension livestock specialist in Corpus Christi, discussed animal identification.

Dr. Jason Cleere, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service beef cattle specialist, and Mark Klaus, Washington County beef producer at the 47th South Central Texas Cow Calf Clinic in Brenham. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Blair Fannin)

Paschal said it’s important for ranchers to maintain good health records on their herds and have cattle permanently identified with brands and other unique forms of identification. This information is important for source-verified programs, animal disease traceback and required for animal health tests such as brucellosis, he said.

“There’s a need for traceback in the industry resulting from animal diseases,” Paschal said. “There are a lot of diseases out there that affect both humans and animals.

“In the past, the required vaccination of all beef breeding heifers for brucellosis kept the beef cow herd in the U.S. and Texas with a form of permanent identification. However, since all of the U.S. is now free of brucellosis, many cattle producers are no longer brucellosis vaccinating their replacement heifers since it’s no longer required by law.”

Consequently, Paschal said most of the nation’s and state’s cowherd is at risk for lack of any traceability for infection.

“It doesn’t have to be an exotic disease, it could be something as simple as the current cattle fever tick outbreak that has required trace backs to 82 different counties in Texas and a number of states.”

Participants also heard an update on Texas Beef Council activities from Mike McCravey, industry relations manager in Austin, and an afternoon session devoted to cattle-handling demonstrations from Dr. Ron Gill, AgriLife Extension livestock specialist and associate department head for animal science at Texas A&M University in College Station.

Professor Named 2018 TAMU Presidential Impact Fellow

November 8, 2018 by Rob Williams

Dr. Zach Adelman next to a microscope. Photo by Rob Williams — Dr. Zach Adelman. Photo by Rob Williams

COLLEGE STATION, Texas–The Department of Entomology would like to congratulate Dr. Zach Adelman for being named a Texas A&M University Presidential Impact Fellow.

Adelman was among a total of 21 faculty members from the University’s 16 colleges, two branch campuses, and its libraries, who were honored during a special ceremony in the Bethancourt Ballroom at the Memorial Student Center on October 25.

Following earlier work on the generation of mosquitoes resistant to viral pathogens, Adelman’s research has more recently focused on the development of novel gene editing/gene replacement approaches for disease vector mosquitoes, as well as understanding genetic interactions between arthropod-borne viruses and their mosquito vectors.

Adelman’s work has been featured in such journals as Science and PNAS and Science, and has co-authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications and is regularly contacted by members of the media on topics relating to gene editing. He has also recorded webinars on gene drive for such organizations as the National Academy of Sciences, the American Institute of Biological Science, and the Scientist Magazine.

Adelman’s research program has been funded by the National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Disease at the National Institutes of Health since 2007, with additional support from the State of Texas, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

“It is a great honor to be selected as a Presidential Impact Fellow. I had been thinking for a long time how to develop some new platforms for communicating critical concepts in genetics that underlie many current issues affecting Texans and the world at large, such as personalized medicine and the biology of cancer, genetically-modified foods, and gene drive,” Adelman said. “The mentorship and support I will have access to through the PIF will be instrumental in making these new platforms a reality. I am very grateful to my Department and College leadership and especially President Young for their faith in my future, and I will do my best to exceed their expectations.”

Each recipient receives an annual cash stipend for the next three fiscal years to help support their research, teaching, and service efforts. The honorarium helps foster opportunities to collaborate with other leading scholars and create new partnerships and confers the lifetime title of Presidential Impact Fellow.

“Texas A&M University is proud to invest in our amazing faculty who continue to make significant impacts through teaching, research and service efforts,” Texas A&M University President Michael K. Young said. “These rising stars are meeting the challenges in their field and demonstrating what influence they have toward creating a better world.”

Vargo Quoted in National Newspaper Article on Termite Research

October 16, 2018 by Rob Williams

Professor and Endowed Chair for Urban and Structural Entomology Dr. Edward Vargo was interviewed in a recent New York Times article on the discovery of all-female termite societies in Japan. Such colonies are produced without sexual reproduction.

Vargo was quoted in the article saying that determining how and why certain colonies evolved asexuality might yield insights into the purpose of sex and sexual reproduction.

Read the article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/28/science/termites-colonies-males.html